THE SHORT NORTH LAYOUT - THAT NEVER WAS

This layout was destined to be built in my double garage which at the time had no cars in it - but inhabited by a lot of... 'collectables'... and WE were the only ones who could explain why we wanted to keep them!  The fact that we found it so hard to part with things, was one of the reasons the layout was never built. It did, however, take two or more years of my life to design, using WinRail 10.0, and it featured two levels with a climb up Cowan Bank getting trains to the upper level.  I will never build it - but I think it has a lot going for it, so feel free to pinch my ideas and run with it.  Let me know how you get on.

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Over the years this mythical layout had a number of other names including 'Broadmeadow & Beyond' and 'Mullet Creek'. The layout provided options for many types of rail activity - such as load balancing in Hawkesbury River Yard - adjusting the length and tonnage weight of each train - according to historical records, adding bank engines front and rear and facing the challenge of the steep Cowan Bank, plus a goods-shed and wharf sidings and refuges.  Wyong was expanded to include some of the functionality of Gosford - loco services including a pit with ashing facilities, stockyards, run-in and reverse-in refuges, Steggles, race-day trains, timber siding shunted the wrong way - what WAS I thinking! Ourimbah and Woy Woy had many shunting options. The upper level featured Berowra and a fictitious branch to Lake Cargelligo that included sites that I loved like Ben Lomond, Lue and Carcoar.

MODELLING THE RAILWAYS OF NSW 36 - 18 MAY 2019

I was a presenter again!

Overall I think it went well... but I was working under duress!

I could not use my OWN computer and mouse, [on which I had thoroughly rehearsed and was fairly slick]; because my laptop was too modern and incompatible with the projector. [It could not connect to USB! It would only party with a 15-pin VGA connector.]

So, I had to borrow an unfamiliar computer at the last minute; and at times, this made me look like a goose.

What did this do for me...?

• I could NOT see my presenter notes, so I had to guess what I meant to say with each slide, which was not easy, and it made me hesitant
•  it compressed some of my slides so the text appeared in crazy ways
•  the mouse was very sensitive - often it would run on two or three slides ahead
• with a different mouse in my RIGHT hand I started pointing at the computer screen in front of me with my LEFT hand; instead of using the mouse-arrow that appeared on the projector screen for everyone to see - and of course I had only used the mouse pointer in rehearsal! LOL
•  the videos did not run, or ran with sound but a black screen
•  in later shows I was able to set up my own computer, and play videos there...and...
•  Jonathan Hilliard, my co-presenter; downloaded software onto the computer that allowed some videos to play, but not all
•  I fumbled with my demonstrations - in hindsight, I should have just left them running the whole time

In spite of these difficulties, people did seem to respond well to the presentation, and I made some new friends.

I promised to put up some posts based on the presentation so I will do that shortly...